Taking a page from Hollywood, the gaming industry has made franchise reboots the "it" fashion. Companies have a chance to modernize and court a new generation of gamers.

Some of these do-overs, such as "Mortal Kombat" and "XCOM," were spectacular, while others -- cough, "Medal of Honor," cough -- left something to be desired. Plus, the upcoming overhaul of "Tomb Raider" is one of the most anticipated games of spring.

Publisher Capcom has jumped on the bandwagon, revamping its popular action series, "Devil May Cry." The resulting game, "DmC: Devil May Cry," doesn't ignore the original, but it brings enough fresh ideas to the mix to make the trip well worth it.

Those who remember the original series will hardly recognize lead character Dante or his brother, Virgil. Gone is Dante's shocking white hair and emo-club wardrobe. Now, Dante could walk down the street without drawing odd looks.

But while Dante might look more human, he's not. In fact, our hero's human side is gone completely. Now, Dante and his brother are Nephilim, the spawn of an angel and a demon, unholy creatures who can appear human or revert to their otherworldly forms when necessary.

Virgil recruits Dante to assist in his fight against Mundus, the demon king, in a battle that spans 20 levels of frantic, bloody mayhem. During his journey, Dante will discover who he really is and the truth about where he came from.

The heart of "Devil May Cry," namely the blistering action, remains intact.

Dante will spend a good deal of his time fighting with his trusty sword, Rebellion, and his twin pistols, Ebony and Ivory. When he needs an extra boost of power, Dante can transform into his angel and demon forms, wielding additional power -- slow and powerful as a demon, fast and light as an angel.

"DmC: Devil May Cry doesn t ignore the original, but it offers enough fresh ideas to make it enjoyable. (Courtesy photo)

As before, players can pull off ridiculous combos, jumping between enemies, juggling them in the air and slamming them on the ground. Blood and carnage spew forth, painting the world red.

Style points are still given for elegantly stringing together attacks, and levels are still ranked. Now, however, you can see your points tally on-screen, so you know how your moves translate to your final ranking. This feedback provides the path to higher ranks, something far too ambiguous in earlier offerings.

Combos can last as long as demons are left to eviscerate, giving players a chance to create their own ballet of carnage. The action is smooth and satisfying without ever becoming frustratingly difficult as it did in "Devil May Cry 3."

Also diminishing the frustration factor are the multiple difficulty settings. Beginners can now start easy and work their way up to the Zen-like trance required for beating the game at its highest levels.

Both the graphics and sound shine, pushing current-generation consoles to their limits. The environments are particularly stunning, boasting some of the finest art direction to come from storied developer Ninja Theory.

Less appealing are the infrequent hiccups that keep the game from reaching the highest levels of gaming bliss.

There's no method to lock on to a specific enemy during a frantic battle. This can become frustrating if you want to destroy a specific, powerful foe before concentrating on the cannon fodder. You're likely to veer off and confront other baddies by accident.

This problem can become exacerbated during battles involving large groups of foes, as the game's camera occasionally has a mind of its own and will swing to an inconvenient position. This can lead to disorientation and the occasional bout of Tourette's.

Neither of these problems diminishes the game's enjoyment much, but when the rest of the game is this good, they become more noticeable.

Still, "DmC: Devil May Cry" stands as a near-perfect example of the power of rebooting a long-standing franchise. New players will be able to jump right in and enjoy the action, while longtime fans should put away their preconceptions and give it a shot.

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